Courier Press - North Iowa Timeshttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/north-iowa-times
enBulldog wrestlers hope to build on the success of last seasonhttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/12/06/bulldog-wrestlers-hope-build-success-last-season
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<div id="capption"> Members of the 2016-2017 MFL MarMac high school wrestling team include (front, left to right) manager MacKenzie Gramlich, cheerleaders Brenna Boland, Brooklyn Landt, Lizzie Miene, Jerica Meana, Sierra Wiebensohn, Katelyn Berns, Chloe Diehl, manager Eden Heying; (middle) manager Chelbe Feuerhelm, Zach Howe, Kaleb Krueger, Keaton Dettman, Austin Ruff, Nathan Johanningmeier, Hunter Miller, Michael Egan, manager Emily Hanson; (back) head coach Chet Bachman, assistant coach Travis Johnson, Avrey Smith, Kutter Anderson, JT Stocker, Brady Olson, Chaise Ziegler, Matt Knipfel, Ethan Stubbs, Colton Dettman, Maccoy Pritchard, Riley Doeppke, Jamarr Tanniehill, Nick Larson, Zach Trudo, Michael Berger, Korby Keehner, assistant coach Collin Stubbs and assistant coach Tracy Decker. Not pictured is Garret Keehner. (Photo by Audrey Posten)</div>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Last season, the MFL MarMac high school wrestling team was conference dual champions and advanced all the way to regionals. Five individuals qualified for sectionals, with two making it to the state tournament. </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We had a strong season last year,” said head coach Chet Bachman, “and we want to build on that.” </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Bachman, who’s joined this season by assistant coaches Tracy Decker, Collin Stubbs, Travis Johnson, Mike Meyer, Chase Strub, Gatlin Keehner and Kyle Kirkestue, said his team will benefit from some strong returners. </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We have a strong nucleus of returners from last year who have had a lot of success at a young age,” he noted. “Some older guys are stepping up and leading.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">So far, said Bachman, he’s been impressed with the leadership of senior Riley Doeppke and junior Brady Olson.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We have a good sophomore class that’s coming up behind them,” he added.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Bachman said he’s expecting to see the Bulldogs grow as a tournament team this year. At dual meets, however, they’ll have to fill some gaps. They have the numbers to do it, though, he stated.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We have some young kids who are stepping into some weights, so we’ll have to learn as we go,” he explained. “But we have bodies to work with. Because of the bodies, we have flexibility. We can put guys in here or there, giving guys a break or a rest.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">MFL MarMac will wrestle in three more JV tournaments this year than it did last season, Bachman shared. In some dual meets, the Bulldogs face off against smaller teams, so this will hopefully give younger wrestlers more mat time, he said.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“The goal is to take the JV and get them more mat time and ready to go when they step into the varsity line-up,” Bachman remarked. “Next year, with 25 matches under their belts, that’s going to help.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Aside from the addition JV tournaments, Bachman said the team’s schedule isn’t vastly different than last season. </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">On Jan. 28, MFL MarMac will host the conference tournament. </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“There are always good matches,” he said. “It’s a great event to come and watch.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Bachman said people will have several opportunities to watch the Bulldogs in post-season action this year without traveling far, as districts will be held at Starmont and sectionals at Postville.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">While he enjoys watching the wrestlers on the mat, Bachman said he enjoys witnessing their camaraderie off it.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“What’s most exciting is that they’re just a bunch of kids having fun together. They’re always doing things together, even outside wrestling,” he shared. “They go fishing together and come in at lunch and play soccer together.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Bachman credited that close-knit behavior to the fact that the kids learn and grow up in the sport together from a young age.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“They start at such a young age—ever since they were in kindergarten and first grade. I remember seeing these kids in pee wee wrestling,” he said. “There’s good alignment with the youth and high school programs and coaches.”</span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:32:48 +0000admin7257 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comMaking, sending cards adds a personal touchhttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/12/06/making-sending-cards-adds-personal-touch
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/cards%20color.jpg?itok=ZxiOLAHm" width="700" height="547" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">With the advent of email, social media and other ways to quickly communicate with one another, especially from long distances, the practice of sending cards in the mail has increasingly fallen by the wayside.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">However, when you’re looking for that added personal touch to show someone just how much you care—particularly during the holiday season—nothing beats a card.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Suzanne Kaber takes that one step further. She makes her own.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Suzanne grew up on a dairy farm between Froelich and Giard. She married her husband, Terry, in 1972, and they moved to Lancaster, Wis., in 1976 to start their own supper club. Terry was the third generation of the Kaber family who ran Kaber’s in Prairie du Chien. After a fire at the Lancaster restaurant in 1994, Suzanne worked several office jobs until her retirement in 2011. Now, she and Terry live on Suzanne’s family’s farm in Giard.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Over the years, Suzanne said she always enjoyed sewing crafts, but admitted her mother was the most artistic in the family.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“My mother started painting signs in the late 1950s and then advanced into more detailed art of large oil, water color or chalk drawings,” she explained. “When we moved to their home, I found 53 pieces of artwork she’d done over the years—some I had never seen before.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Her father, who was a skilled carpenter, also had an artistic bent, Suzanne noted.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Suzanne began making cards in 2002, when her older sister sent her a box of rubber stamping ink in every color one could imagine. She’d already acquired some stamps during visits to her sister in Washington.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“Neither one of us did much too elaborate,” Suzanne noted, “but, little by little, I learned new techniques and tried new tools.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Aside from the rubber stamps and ink, Suzanne said she has an electric die-cutting machine, called a Cricut, that cuts out layers of items using different colors of paper. She also has a hand-cranked “Big Shot” machine for embossing.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“The two combined make fun cards,” she shared. “I’m addicted!”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">In the last year, Suzanne began incorporating tatting flowers, which she purchases online from a friend, in her designs. For this, she draws a design on the card, copied from something her mother made, then glues the colored flowers atop the design. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I am not the artist my mother was, but I discovered I can stamp some pretty elegant designs and then embellish with the flowers,” she said.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Suzanne said her mother’s artwork, as well as her grandmother’s collection of vintage cards, have influenced her card designs. She also gets some catalogs that offer ideas and has attended several classes.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Most of the time, though, said Suzanne, she just goes down to her basement workroom and waits for inspiration to strike.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I never have a plan in mind. I just have the cards folded, ready to make,” she added. “It’s really fun, and I like to keep busy. I could probably make 20 in an afternoon.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">She makes everything from birthday, anniversary and sympathy cards to thank you and holiday cards. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I love making Halloween cards the best,” she stated.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Most people like the inside of the cards left blank, she remarked, so they can write their own personal notes.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Over the years, Suzanne said she’s acquired regular buyers of her handmade cards, thanks to friends and neighbors showing off her work. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">In 2012, at the urging of Bonnie Anghelescu from Creative Enz Salon and Spa, Suzanne approached the McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts, whose retail gallery has now been renamed the Left Bank Shop and Gallery, about displaying and selling her cards there.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Four years later, sales remain steady. She regularly updates her selection of greeting cards and has even given some card making demonstrations.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I love coming to McGregor and the art gallery,” she said. “We have wonderful artists, and it is a great place to buy gifts for your certain friend or relative.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Suzanne hopes people will continue to enjoy the cards that have brought her so much joy.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“It’s gratifying, when people want certain kinds of cards,” she said. “A personal card just shows you’ve spent time on the person, that you know them and what they like.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">If you’d like to check out any of Suzanne’s handmade cards, they are on display at the Left Bank Shop and Gallery in McGregor, which is open weekends through Dec. 18.</span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:29:49 +0000admin7256 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comMock interviews help students prepare for the futurehttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/12/06/mock-interviews-help-students-prepare-future
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div id="photowithcaption"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/mock%202.jpg?itok=ZR_SWMR7" width="700" height="454" alt="" /><br />
<blockquote class"image_field_caption">
<div id="capption"> MFL MarMac senior Ty Hefner was one of 93 students who participated in mock interviews last week. (Photo by Audrey Posten)</div>
</blockquote></div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">The 93 MFL MarMac juniors and seniors in Tamara Butikofer’s pre-employment strategies class got a taste of the real world Dec. 1, as they participated in mock interviews for their potential careers.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">For the interviews, students were split into four groups. Each group went into the gym for a half-hour, during which time the students were matched up with and interviewed by a local business person or Northeast Iowa Community College representative.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">This was a new venture for MFL MarMac, Butikofer said.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“We do some mock interviews in class, but never this big,” she explained. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">In class, Butikofer said students were prepped on some of the types of questions that might be asked during the interview, but didn’t have a set list. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“They have to be prepared to answer on the spot,” she said.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">The interviewer filled out a rubric for their student following the interview, noting positive aspects as well as things the student could work to improve. Students also filled out a rubric.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">As juniors and seniors edge closer to college and their future careers, Butikofer said she hopes this will help them prepare.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Coming in here is different than interviewing for a high school job,” she said, adding that, odds were, the student didn’t know the person who interviewed them. “No matter what they do, they need these soft skills. I hope the kids appreciate it and use it.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Following their mock interviews, all the students attended a panel in the high school auditorium. There, several representatives from area businesses answered their questions about the interview process. Participants included Candace Drahn from M’s Machine and Manufacturing, Dixie Doeppke from Norplex-Micarta, Mark Witter from Lady Luck Casino, Bill Roe from Birdnow Chevrolet, Mike Murray from Mobile Track Solutions and Gina<br />
Roys from Clayton County Recycling.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">What were some of their biggest interview tips? </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Resumes are important. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“What you put on your resume is important,” Drahn shared. “You’re selling yourself.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Make sure you’re specific, Witter added: “Don’t just list your skills. Give examples. Tell us why you’re a good leader.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Doeppke agreed, explaining, “Be prepared to back up the skill on your resume. Don’t just say you use technology. Be prepared to show how and when you use it.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">The references listed on a resume are also important, Doeppke said. Potential employers will call them, so make sure you’ve asked him/her first, she noted.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Murray admitted the further away people get from high school and college, the less employers care about their grades. That doesn’t mean they aren’t important, though, he cautioned. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">However, employers also look at other aspects of the person.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Be well-rounded,” said Roys, who encouraged students to get involved with sports, clubs and volunteer activities.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“It shows you know how to work with people,” Witter said. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Soft skills are really paramount,” Murray said, explaining that reliability, trustworthiness and responsibility are key aspects employers consider.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">For Roe, he said he appreciates a strong handshake. He also advised interviewees not to bring their cell phones to an interview.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“When that goes off, it’s not good,” he said.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Asking questions about the company and the job is also a plus, he added.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Research the company,” agreed Drahn. “Know what questions to ask.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Most of all, though, Doeppke said, don’t worry about being nervous.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Even we’re nervous,” she said of the interviewers. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 17 or 45, you’re still just as nervous. Take a deep breath and think through your answers.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get the job, Murray shared. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“One interview might lead to another job,” he said. “It might work out somewhere else.”</span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:22:43 +0000admin7255 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comPlans continue to bring Dollar General to Mononahttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/12/06/plans-continue-bring-dollar-general-monona
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">At the Monona Council’s Dec. 5 meeting, city administrator Dan Canton informed the council that the Overland Group has accepted the city’s counter-offer to purchase a small parcel of land in the Monona Commercial Park for $20,000.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The land, located along Highway 18, west of Fisk Farm and Home and the Davis Street Car Wash, is next to a larger property, which is not owned by the city, that the Overland Group is interested in for construction of a Dollar General store.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The deal is not final, however, said Canton, until the Overland Group does its due diligence in checking out the property and making sure it will meet its needs. The Overland Group could still back out of the deal, he said, as they did over a year ago, when they were looking at another location in that area.</span></span></p>
<p class="p4"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">January meetings changed</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The council’s January meetings have each been pushed back a week to accommodate the New Year’s holiday. They will now be held Monday, Jan. 9 and Monday, Jan. 23.</span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:13:24 +0000admin7254 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comAngels Helping Angels warms the holidays for local kidshttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/11/29/angels-helping-angels-warms-holidays-local-kids
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/angel%20color%201.jpg?itok=ZYhW2pzM" width="313" height="313" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">This holiday season will be brighter—and warmer—for many MFL MarMac kids and families thanks to the Angels Helping Angels program. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Established four years ago, when one of the organizers wanted to help a child in the district get a new winter coat, Angels Helping Angels matches “angels” in need of winter apparel, clothing, blankets, hygiene products, food and even holiday gifts with donor “angels” who have offered to provide those items.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">The program has aided over 100 children (and some families) of varying ages and degrees of need in each of the last three years. In 2015, 165 local kids received help, and this year’s number of angel recipients is anticipated to be at or above that amount.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">A list of angel recipients has already largely been compiled with the help of school staff, authorities and community members who recognized a need for specific children or families. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Once an angel recipient is nominated, he/she is registered in the Angels Helping Angels system and given an identification number for tracking and distribution purposes. When a donor comes forward, he/she receives information about a child or family, including age(s), gender, interests and needed items. Any names or specific identifying information is withheld to ensure privacy. Once the items are compiled, the donor returns them to any school district office with the identification number affixed to the package so it can be distributed to the correct angel(s).</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">One woman, who has been an angel donor since the program began, said she didn’t think twice about participating.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“I have been blessed in my own life and I wanted to make a difference for a child at Christmas,” she remarked. “Christmas should be a joyous time of year. But some children don’t get to experience this. If I can put a smile on some child’s face, even for just one day, then it’s all worth it.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Another local parent has been both a donor and recipient of Angels Helping Angels.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“I think this program is amazing,” she said. “As we all know, kids love Christmas, and they love to get gifts, but sometimes we fall into hardship and are not able to purchase many gifts.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">This angel mom said she loves Christmas shopping and giving back to others. After being on the receiving end of the program, she said she wanted to support another family as hers had been helped.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“I love giving, so being a donor was fun and exciting. However, when money is tight, it is great to know that many people out there want to help,” she added. “We have been grateful for the things we have received.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">When buying for her angel(s), one donor said she likes to donate a toy the angel has requested along with some new clothes and pajamas.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Everyone feels good when they have something warm and cozy,” she noted.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">For the angel parent whose kids have received items, she said they are, not surprisingly, most excited about the toys. She, however, appreciates the clothing.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">When selecting items like clothing, she urged, “get the next size bigger. Kids will grow into them. That’s better than them not being big enough.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Aside from clothes and toys, the mom said kids also appreciate gift cards, movies and crafts.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Either way, she noted, the kids are appreciative of what they receive.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“The kids think it’s great that someone who doesn’t even know them got them gifts to make their Christmas better,” she said. </span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">The support of the MFL MarMac community has been touching, the mom continued.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“It means so much to know our kids are growing up in such a wonderful, giving community,” she said. “We have been able to explain to the kids that giving is always better than getting.”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">Even giving just a little bit makes a big difference, said an angel donor.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">“Give what you can, whether it be your time or gifts,” she mentioned. “Even a smile goes a long way!”</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;">If an individual, family, business, community group or organization would like to become a donor, please contact the “MFL MarMac Angels Helping Angels” Facebook page or call Brandi at (563) 880-1266.</span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:04:52 +0000admin7223 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comFestival of Trees brings the excitement of Christmas to McGregorhttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/11/29/festival-trees-brings-excitement-christmas-mcgregor
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div id="photowithcaption"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/fot%202_0.jpg?itok=xXKK6p49" width="700" height="528" alt="" /><br />
<blockquote class"image_field_caption">
<div id="capption"> With its dozens of beautifully-decorated trees, music, food, crafts and contests, the Festival of Trees has been a must-see holiday event for six years. This year’s event will be held on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3, at Backwoods Bar and Event Center in McGregor. (NIT file photo)</div>
</blockquote></div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">With its dozens of beautifully-decorated trees, music, food, crafts and contests, the Festival of Trees has been a must-see holiday event for six years.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“This event brings the excitement of Christmas to the McGregor community and shares it with all our friends in the surrounding area,” noted Anne Kruse, who helps organize the Festival of Trees along with many other community volunteers.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Sponsored by the McGregor Clan Lions Club, McGregor Historical Museum and McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts, Festival of Trees will be held this year on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3, at the Backwoods Bar and Grill and Event Center in McGregor. It will offer many of the same activities, as well as some new ones, for attendees of all ages to enjoy.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“It is family friendly and helps to raise funds for community projects,” Kruse shared.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">This year’s proceeds will benefit three local causes, including the MFL MarMac Snack Pack Program, which gives “snack packs” of food to students in need over the weekends. Funds will also go to a grant match for a public art mural in McGregor, as well as to local Quilts of Valor volunteers, who honor area veterans with handmade quilts.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Festivities will kick off Friday, at noon, when attendees can begin viewing trees. Vendor booths will be set up offering crafts and other gifts, as well.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Forty-five trees will be on display throughout the weekend, all lovingly decorated by individuals, businesses and organizations from area communities. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Festival-goers can vote for their favorite tree, and also make bids to take a tree home, until 8 p.m. Friday evening and throughout the day Saturday.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Among the other activities on Friday is an ugly sweater contest. From 3 to 8 p.m., people can stop by the event and show off their best ugly Christmas sweater. A photo will be taken and hung up; other attendees will check out the entries and vote for their favorite.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Back for the fourth year, from 4 to 9 p.m., will be the popular “Spirits of Christmas” pub crawl. For this adult-only event, a small fee entitles participants to “sample-size holiday drinks at six McGregor establishments,” explained Kruse. “Half of the money raised serves as a prize for the most popular drink, as voted by patrons of the crawl, and the other half goes to the chosen community projects.” </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">In the evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., enjoy the sounds of the season, with sing-alongs and musical performances by Santa’s Combo and the local Victorian Carolers group. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">On Saturday, the event center will open at 9 a.m., for tree viewing, vendor booths and a bake sale.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">New this year, from 1 to 4 p.m., will be the McGregor Holiday Home Tour, featuring seven beautiful homes located around the community. The event is sponsored by Turner Park: Fitness For All Ages, with proceeds going toward construction of a splash pad at Turner Park. Tickets for the home tour can be picked up at the Festival of Trees. For more details about the home tour, see the ad in this week’s paper and visit the “Turner Park: Fitness For All Ages” Facebook page.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Back at the event center, from 2 to 4 p.m., kids can decorate gingerbread houses. Santa Claus and his number-one elf will be available for selfies. During that time, MFL MarMac students will also sing carols and the Ogle sisters (Diane’s Aunts) will perform.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday evening, enjoy the “Taste of McGregor.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“This year, our food contest features Christmas cookies,” Kruse said. “Come and sample area bakers’ finest efforts and vote for your favorite.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The band River City Ruckus and other musical entertainment will be on stage from 6 to 8 p.m.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">At 8 p.m., the winners of all the event contests will be revealed.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">For more information about Festival of Trees and all its activities, see the ad in this week’s paper or visit the “Festival of Trees—McGregor, Iowa” Facebook page.</span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:03:10 +0000admin7222 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comHoliday Train stopping in Marquette on Dec. 4http://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/11/29/holiday-train-stopping-marquette-dec-4
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div id="photowithcaption"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/holiday%20train%201.jpg?itok=PtyaRJTT" width="700" height="618" alt="" /><br />
<blockquote class"image_field_caption">
<div id="capption"> The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will stop in Marquette, at the marina parking lot, on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2:45 p.m. (NIT file photo)</div>
</blockquote></div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will once again bring holiday cheer to the area as it stops in Marquette, at the marina parking lot, on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2:45 p.m.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Now in its 18th year, the Holiday Train is adorned with thousands of lights depicting holiday scenes on 14 rail cars, one of which turns into a stage for musical performances.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">However, putting on a dazzling light display is just half of the Holiday Train equation, as attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item or monetary donation as admission. </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">One of the Clayton County Food Shelf’s largest donation campaigns, last year’s stop in Marquette netted $8,132.25 and 4,889.25 pounds of food, said Food Shelf Director Utoni Ruff.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">This year, the Holiday Train will stop in several other area communities aside from Marquette on Sunday, including Guttenberg at 12:45 p.m. and Lansing at 4:50 p.m.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Santa will make an appearance and Canadian country singer Kelly Prescott and Canadian rock/blues artist Colin James will perform some classic holiday tunes at the Marquette stop, but Ruff said even more is planned this year. The local Victorian Carolers group will also perform and hot chocolate will be served.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Since stops change year-to-year, Ruff said it’s important for people to attend, so the train continues to stop in Clayton County. </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Some items that are in high demand at the Clayton County Food Shelf this year include protein, like peanut butter or canned tuna, as well as canned fruit. Also needed are paper products and toiletries, like toilet paper, hand soap, laundry soap, shampoo and toothpaste. </span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:01:34 +0000admin7221 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comMonona Holiday Shop Hop runs Dec. 3-24http://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/11/29/monona-holiday-shop-hop-runs-dec-3-24
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The Monona Chamber’s annual Holiday Shop Hop runs Saturday to Saturday again this year; however, it’s been expanded from one to three full weeks, from Dec. 3-24. This gives shoppers extra time, at their own pace, to select the places they will patronize to fill up their punch cards. </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The Monona Chamber sponsors the event to promote local shopping, to keep cash registers ringing, dollars circulating around town, and sales tax growing for an added boost to merchants and the local economy.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Punch cards may be picked up at any of the following locations during their business hours: Monona Chamber, Quillin’s, FreedomBank, Monona Pharmacy, MJ’s Bar &amp; Grill, R Place Sports Bar &amp; Grille, Suhdron Fabrics, Fisk Farm &amp; Home, Birdnow Chevrolet and any other location specified at MononaChamber.com.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">During the period, each shopper is asked to patronize at least three chamber merchants around town, at which time merchants will validate each purchase on the shopper’s punch card (only one card allowed per shopper). Shoppers may become eligible to win one of four drawings totaling over $1,000 in gifts and prizes, all generously donated by Monona Chamber merchants. Follow Monona Chamber’s Facebook page for contest updates, prizes and photos. Please post your tasteful Monona Holiday Shop Hop selfies on the Facebook page using #MononaIowaHolidayShopHop, to share your fun memories with the community. </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Your eligible punch card, completed with name and phone number, may be dropped off at the chamber’s downtown office over business hours, Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or during after-hours utilizing the chamber’s front door mail slot. The drop-off deadline is by 11:59 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The four lucky winners will be picked on Wednesday, Dec. 28. </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Visit MononaChamber.com to find 2016 Holiday Shop Hop rules, instructions and a complete list of participating chamber shops and stores. If you have questions, please contact Rogeta Halvorson at <a href="mailto:MononaChamber@neitel.net">MononaChamber@neitel.net</a> or (563) 880-9190, or stop into the chamber office at 103 W. Center St., in downtown Monona. </span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Have fun while supporting Monona merchants!</span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:00:01 +0000admin7220 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comExpectations high for experienced Bulldog boys basketball teamhttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/11/22/expectations-high-experienced-bulldog-boys-basketball-team
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div id="photowithcaption"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/boys%20bball.jpg?itok=XD39HmSL" width="700" height="432" alt="" /><br />
<blockquote class"image_field_caption">
<div id="capption"> Members of the 2016-2017 MFL MarMac boys basketball team include (front, left to right) manager Kelsi Davis, Mason Hertrampf, Levi Ferguson, Jordan Weaver, Nolin Lang, Gavyn Wade, assistant coach Mychal Moon; (back) head coach Eric Dettbarn, Bradley Herold, JP Murphy, Blake Brainard, Cade Kuenster, Carl Davis, Bryar Ruff, Tristen Kautman, Spencer Rose, Peyton Meisner, Ty Hefner and assistant coach Adam Simon. (Photo by Audrey Posten)</div>
</blockquote></div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Upper Iowa Conference champions last season, an experienced MFL MarMac boys basketball team has hopes for a repeat, and much more, this year.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We bring back our starting five from last year along with two of our key reserves off the bench, so we have a lot of experience returning,” said head coach Eric Dettbarn, who enters his 30th season at the helm. He’s joined again by assistants Adam Simon and Mychal Moon. </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">One of the team’s key players is senior Tristen Kautman. A first team all-conference selection as a freshman and sophomore, he was injured most of last season, but returns this year at full strength. Senior Cade Kuenster (first team all-conference), junior Mason Hertrampf (first team all-conference), senior Ty Hefner (second team all-conference) and senior Bryar Ruff (honorable mention all-conference) will also round out MFL MarMac’s experienced starting line-up.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">According to Dettbarn, Levi Ferguson, Blake Brainard and Carl Davis will play big roles for the Bulldogs coming off the bench. </span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“Jordan Weaver, Peyton Meisner, JP Murphy, Spencer Rose and Gavyn Wade will all be counted on to play key roles in helping us continue to improve throughout the year,” he added.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Dettbarn said MFL MarMac will be a strong ball-handling and shooting team this season. As the year progresses, he said they will work to become more consistent at the defensive end of the floor, along with being a better rebounding team.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We should put a fun brand of basketball on the floor,” he remarked. “We would really appreciate it if people would come out to watch us play.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Looking at this year’s schedule, Dettbarn said he and the team try to take it game-by-game.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I tend to look forward to every game,” he said. “Obviously, some games will mean a little bit more than others depending upon how the year goes, and those match-ups will come about as the season plays out.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“With the group we have coming back, expectations are pretty high,” he concluded. “I am just excited to work with this group of young men and see where the season takes us.”</span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 22 Nov 2016 19:22:08 +0000admin7198 at http://www.guttenbergpress.comFollow the lights to Christmas Hollowhttp://www.guttenbergpress.com/articles/2016/11/22/follow-lights-christmas-hollow
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%207.jpg?itok=Cy14krAn" width="700" height="467" alt="" /></div><div class="field-item odd"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%201.jpg?itok=KlhJNqCQ" width="680" height="938" alt="" /></div><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%202.jpg?itok=b1ju00Bw" width="700" height="566" alt="" /></div><div class="field-item odd"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%204.jpg?itok=OAWl3w5L" width="680" height="952" alt="" /></div><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%205.jpg?itok=9_-IAXeV" width="700" height="561" alt="" /></div><div class="field-item odd"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%203.jpg?itok=xvUp9P9Z" width="680" height="1020" alt="" /></div><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.guttenbergpress.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_full_node/public/field/image/xmas%20hollow%206.jpg?itok=1eWmEcSg" width="680" height="808" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p class="p1"><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Star light, star bright, everyone’s invited to see Lucy and Al Anderson’s Christmas lights. For the third year, the McGregor couple, who live at 215 W. Spring St., behind the city garage across from the middle school, will welcome people to visit Christmas Hollow.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Always an avid Christmas decorator, Lucy came up with the idea for Christmas Hollow three years ago. She and Al, who were then newly married, had recently moved into their home, which had a yard that offered ample decorating space.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">The Andersons began decorating last month. Lucy comes up with the display ideas, while Al engineers solutions to make them happen. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“You have to start early,” Lucy remarked. “It takes a lot of time, but it’s fun.”</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Lucy credited her husband with being so generous with his time. Al, a carpenter, said he’s happy to help. Luckily, this year, he stated, the mild weather has made decorating easier. </span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">This year’s Christmas Hollow display includes Santa’s workshop, a Christmas parade of animals dressed in holiday and winter gear, flying Santa and reindeer, a nativity scene, Christmas trees and more.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I had a lot made up from last year,” said Lucy, who noted that many of her decorations come from rummage sales and the cap office.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">There are several large additions this year, however. A life-size Santa and Frosty the Snowman, who both play music, are now included.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“Frosty can sing for an hour at a time,” Lucy said.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">A giant, inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, known from the “Ghostbusters” movies, also graces the yard.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“We’ll also have more lights this year,” added Lucy.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Christmas Hollow will begin spreading the warmth of the holiday season Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 23. Lights can be viewed every night, from 5 to 9 p.m., until Dec. 26.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">Lucy hopes people of all ages—but especially kids—will enjoy Christmas Hollow.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="s1">“I hope it will bring a lot of kids in,” she said. “That’s who we’re doing it for—the kids.” </span></span></p>
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</div></form></div></div></div>Tue, 22 Nov 2016 18:39:17 +0000admin7197 at http://www.guttenbergpress.com